Earlier today in Rome, the overview –the guidelines– for the 2012 Synod Bishops working with the theme of evangelization was presented. This is the 13th Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which will guide pastoral initiatives and papal thinking and programs. The title for the Synod is “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.” Archbishop Nicholas Eterovic, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops made the presentation of the 65 page document.
This Synod will meet at the Vatican 7-28 October 2012.
The guidelines, called officially the lineamenta, can be read here. The various bishops, religious superiors, Vatican offices and experts are to submit their responses to the lineamenta by November. This is step one. Then, the answers to questions will be collated into what is called the instrumentum laboris, the working document that the Synod and the Pope will work from.
This Synod will have a significant influence in the work of the new agency formed by the Pope this past year for evangelization, the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization headed by Archbishop Rino Fisichella.